Correction!
When we published the announcement that Scott bicycles were pulling out of the United States, we also stated that they were no longer going to be distributed in Canada. Chris Redden, the Product Manager at Veltec Canada - the Canadian Scott distributor - has set us straight on this matter:
Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Please be advised that you reported incorrectly that Veltec Canada was no longer carrying Scott Bicycles and products in Canada. Nothing could be more from the truth. Veltec has strong ties with Scott Europe and we will continue to carry our Scott program for 1998. All of the products displayed at the Toronto Dealer Show will be available for 1998. The only thing that will change is the cosmetics of the Scott Pro MTB Racing Shoe to fall in line with the European colour scheme. We will continue to support the Scott name in Canada and cover all bicycle warranty issues. Please inform your readers of this misinformation.Ã¢â‚¬Â°
We apologize to Veltec and our readers for this mistake.
Canadian Cycling Association AGM
(thanks to Pierre Hutsebault and Lisa Davey for their assistance)
The CCA Annual General Meeting was held in Ottawa this past weekend. Two new Board members were elected: Loyal Ma (Alberta) as V.P. Develoment Committee, and Patricia McNamee (Ontario) as V.P. Recreation and Transportation. Other changes include the way National event (including Championship) locations are chosen.
Basically, there were two major changes made at the Development Committee meeting. The first affect the National Championships (road, track and mountain bike). The location of these events will be determined three years in advance. The committee has divided the country into 5 regions (BC/Yukon, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes). The nationals will rotate between these regions. No region will host all three nationals in the same year and every effort will be made to ensure that the track and road nationals will be held in the same region close together to reduce travelling costs for coaches and athletes.
The Canada Cup Series will consist of four events plus one series final which will not be held in conjunction with the nationals. The events will be assigned two years in advance. The region system described above will used for Canada Cup allocation as well. Due to their size, BC, Ontario and Quebec will be guaranteed a Canada Cup every year. The Prairies and the Maritimes will have the opportunity to present a bid for the remaining two Canada Cup events. In 1998, Canada Cup Standings will only be maintained for the top 25 finishers of each race and not for all racers. The organizers will still be obliged to calculate the points for the participants but the points will only count towards the overall standings if the rider places in the top 25 at that particular race. This system will be used on a trial basis for 1998 and the committee will reviste the point system for 1999.
For the National Team program there will be two primary objectives - the Mountain Bike WorldÃ¢â‚¬Å¡s and the Commonwealth Games.
Rider News
Road pros Steve Rover and Gord Fraser will be going in different directions next season, it appears. Fraser could not come to a satisfactory salary arrangement with his Euro squad La Mutuelle de Seine et Marne and is reportedly looking for a U.S. squad. Rover will be returning to Mutuelle next season.
Plush Magazine to Publish No More
If you go to the website of downhill magazine Plush you will see a notice stating that the magazine has ceased operations (after 3 issues), and that the website will go offline at the end of the month. While not generally our brew, we are sorry to see Plush disappear, since it did offer an alternate viewpoint on the sport (and had some really great photos...).
Ontario Provincial 'Cross Championship Update
Washrooms and a heated pavilion will be available. Pay-duty officers will marshal Guelph Line (part of the Mt. Nemo ascent), and a video of the last two world championships will be shown. The course is a loop of approximately 2.5 km. It will be up on Saturday by noon if you want to come and check it out.
If you have a mountain bike and don't wish to modify it and/or you don't have a racing licence, there will be an open 'cross race on the provincial course at 10:30 a.m. This will be a 40 minute race. Entry fee for the open race is $10 (free to those traveling from outside the given radius of 200 km), while the cost of the championship ride is $15.
Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. The provincial championship race starts at 12:00 noon.
For more info contact Chuck Bonnaffon PH 905.876.2207 FX 905.876.2107